Teeth-separator.



No, 811,849. PATENTBD FEB. 6, 1906.

E. L. HUTGHINSON.

TEETH SEPARATOR. APPLIOATION FILED JUNE a, 1905.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.TEETH-SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters'Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1906.

Application filed June 3,1905. Serial No. 263,616.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDsoN LEWIS Huron- INsoN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Honolulu, Island of Oahu, Territory of Hawaii, haveinvented new and useful Improven'ients in TeethSeparators, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in separators employed by dentistsfor forcing proximal teeth apart, and thus increasing the space betweensame during the time of treat ment or operations performed thereon.

Separators of the class to which my improvements relate are shown inUnited States Patent No. 366,025, granted to Saii'ord G. Perry July 5,1887, and in No. 513,016,

7 granted to W. S. I-Iow January 16, 1894.

The object of my invention is to provide a separator having a wide rangeof ad ustment and adapted for use upon proximal teeth in any location inthe mouth, which can be more quickly applied than those heretoforeemployed, and which at the same time does not offer obstructions to theoperator that would prevent free access to the proximal surfaces of theteeth and interfere with use of the emery tape, sandpaper disk, andother tools.

. With these objects in view my invention consists in the construction,arrangement, and combination of after fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of aseparator embodying my improvements as applied to proximal teeth. Fig. 2represents a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation ofthe separator removed from the teeth. Figs. 4 and 5 represent,respectively, on a larger scale, sectional elevations of portions on thelines a: a: and y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a plan. view, and Fig. 7 anelevation, of a portion of the separator, showing a modification.

The sectional bows A B and O D are each provided withcurvedseparating-jaws a l) and. e (Z, respectively, for engagingproximal teeth, as E E, near the surface of the gum. The sectional bowsare bent or curved upward and away from the separating-jaws, as shown.The bows are strongly made where curved, so as to prevent any unduespringing. To the upper ends of the front bowsections A and C aresecured the bars F and G, respectively, serrated on their upper sides.The upper ends of the rear bow-sections B parts, as willbe herein-- andD are made bifurcated, pivoted in which are the cam-levers H and J,respectively. These ends may be made bifurcated by splitting the metal,or preferably by riveting on another piece, as shown in Fig. 4. The barsF G are adapted to slide in the bifurcated ends of the rearbow-sectionsB D below the cam-levers H J, respectively. These cam-leversare adapted to operate shoes K L, provided with serrations which engageand hold the bars FG when the cam-levers are thrown rearward, as shown,and which are released, so that the bars F G are free to slide in thebifurcated ends of the bow-sections B D when the cam-levers II J arethrown forward. The serrationscan be made of any suitable shape, such asshown in Fig. 5, or be simply V-shaped notches. Any clamping or lockingdevice similar to that shown may be employed, thus doing away with.screw connections, which are slow of adjustment.

The lower outer ends of the sectional bows A B and C D are tapped. andengaged by the screw-bars M and N, respectively, provided with right andleft handed threads, by means of which the bows of the separator may begradually forced apart or drawn toward each other, as in the Perry andHow separators, which is a preferable construction.

In operation the separator is quickly adjusted upon any two proximalteeth desired. The sections of the bows are pushed together until theseparating-jaws tightly engage the teeth, whereupon the levers H J arethrown rearward, thereby locking the sections A B and C D, respectively,to one another. The screw-bars M N are then turned by a pin or wrench,so as to gradually spread apart the teeth. The separator is quicklyremoved by turning the said. screw-bars in the opposite direction andthen throwing the levers H J forward, and thus releasing the devicewhich locks the sections of each bow together.

In a modification shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the bars F G are each tapped.to engage a screw P, provided at its lower end with a piece Q, swiveledto same. The screw P when turned in the bar F or G raises or lowers thepiece Q, and by turning the piece Q about the end of the screw P thesaid. piece Q can be made to engage the crown of one of the proximalteeth to be operated on or the crown of the tooth next adjacent theretoand. the separating-jaws be thus prevented from possibly slippingdownward on its tooth and toward or into the gum.-

separator can be used either with or Without the screw P and piece Q, asthey are easily removed from that the construction does not offer0bstruc-' tions to the operator.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus for separating teeth, two bows, adjustableconnections between the bows, each bow composed of two sections, eachsection provided with a separating-jaw, one section of each bow providedwith a bar adapted to slide in the end of the other section, and meansfor instantly clamping and releasing the sections, substantially asdescribed.

2. In an apparatus for separating teeth, two bows, adjustably connectedby right and left handed screws, each bow composed of two sections, eachsection provided with a separating-j aw, one section of each bowprovided with a bar adapted to slide in the end of the other section,and means for instantly clamping and releasing the sections, substaii=tially as described.

3; In an apparatus for separating teeth, the combination of thesectional bows A 0 provided with the jaws a c and the bars F Grespectively, the sectional bows B D provided with the aws I) d andbifurcated ends in which the bars F G respectively are adapted to slide,and means for clamping said bars in various positions in said bifurcatedends.

4. In an apparatus for separating teeth, a sectional bow provided with abar having a threaded hole to engage a screw P, and a piece Q swiveledon the end of said screw, for the purpose described.

5. In combination, the sectional bows A C, connected by the screw-bar M,and provided with jaws a 0, bars F G, screws P with pieces Q, and thesectional bows B D, connected by the screw-bar N, and provided with thejaws I) (Z and bifurcated ends in which are respectively pivoted thecam-levers H J and shoes K L, for the purpose and substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDSON LEWVIS HUTCHINSON.

Witnesses:

RoBT. J. PRATT, E. J SANFORD.

